


The Cake Thief

by Rennaren



Category: Hakuouki
Genre: F/M, Gen, Humor, saitofest 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:27:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22797037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rennaren/pseuds/Rennaren
Summary: For Saito's birthday, Chizuru had made a special snowbunny cake to celebrate the day. Unfortunately before she was able to present it to Saito, one slice had gone missing. There are of course the usual suspects to consider in the search for the cake stealing culprit. But are the obvious suspects actually the correct one?Written for Saitofest 2020
Relationships: Saitou Hajime/Yukimura Chizuru
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For Saitofest 2020 on Tumblr I decided to draw a [picture of Saito](https://rennarenofao3.tumblr.com/post/190894152752/heres-my-contribution-to-saitofest-2020) (with a snowbunny birthday cake Chizuru had made for him that was missing a slice), since I was tied up in working on writing for a different fandom. I figured that would be my little contribution to the event and that would be the end of it,... it turns out I was wrong. 
> 
> I got bit by the idea to wonder what might happen if the culprit who stole a piece of Saito's snowbunny cake wasn't Okita, Heisuke, or someone that Saito might feel okay with confronting about it, but instead was someone else, who no one would suspect. This fic is the result.  
>  **Happy reading. :)**

Chizuru smiled to herself as she held the halved cherries in place on the cake she had just finished decorating, giving the icing a moment to set up around them before stepping back slightly to admire her work. When she had first learned that Saito’s birthday was approaching Chizuru had decided that she wanted to try to do something special to commemorate the event, as a way of thanking Saito for everything that he had done for her up to this point. And so Chizuru had spent a large portion of the day, after finishing her regular duties around the Shinsengumi’s headquarters, working in the kitchen to prepare for the party she had planned for that evening.

At first Chizuru hadn’t been sure how she would be able to do any of the things she had in mind, given her inability to leave the Shinsengumi’s headquarters without permission. Luckily for her several of the captains had volunteered to help out. Heisuke had been the first to speak up, and had quickly pulled Harada and Shinpachi into the mix as well. 

Harada had begun by doing some of the preliminary shopping for her in advance, allowing more time for Chizuru to begin getting things ready, and both he and Shinpachi promised to make sure that there would be a generous supply of sake for the party. Heisuke meanwhile had agreed earlier that day to take Chizuru out to get any last items she needed, after he was finished with his patrols. And while Okita hadn’t explicitly volunteered to get involved he suddenly seemed to have developed a sixth sense for knowing just when to run interference, consistently appearing exactly when needed to distract Saito, every time that their party preparations had been at risk of being discovered. 

“Hey Chizuru, are you ready to go yet? …I’m finished with my patrol for the day.” 

The cheerful voice of the Shinsengumi’s eighth division captain pulled Chizuru from her thoughts and she looked over to see the ponytailed young man peering around the edge of the shoji door, before stepping further into the kitchen as Chizuru turned her attention toward him. Coming to a stop next to Chizuru, Heisuke bent forward to inspect the cake she had been decorating. 

“So is this the cake you were making?” asked Heisuke as his eyes roamed curiously over the dessert, which was shaped like a large snow bunny complete with red eyes and long green ‘leaf’ ears, before looking over at Chizuru. At Chizuru’s nod Heisuke turned his attention back to the cake, a small smile touching his lips. “It’s cute… But how come you made it look like a snow bunny though?” He wondered if it was because Chizuru also remembered when Saito had kept a snowbunny on his windowsill for a while, though in spite of how much he and Shinpachi had teased Saito about it, Heisuke still wasn’t sure just why the other captain had made such a thing much less kept it. 

“Um,… well…” Chizuru blushed, her voice trailing off as she tried to decide how she should answer Heisuke’s question, since the answer would involve sharing knowledge of a private moment that had occurred between her and Saito. The encounter in the snow that day had been one of the things that had played a part in the two of them starting to become closer.

Looking over as Chizuru’s voice trailed off and fell silent, Heisuke found his own cheeks growing warmer as he took in the adorable blush that colored Chizuru’s. He glanced away quickly a few moments later as he realized that he had been staring. _…Ahh,… Chizuru looks so cute right now…_ thought Heisuke before forcing his mind to focus on something else, in an attempt to regain his composure.

Heisuke cleared his throat, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head as he kept his gaze carefully diverted from Chizuru while speaking. “Uh,… So we should probably get going now, right?” 

Shaking herself to refocus her attention on the present Chizuru looked around the kitchen briefly before replying. 

She had done most of the clean-up from baking Saito’s cake while waiting for it to cool enough to decorate. The few things she had already started making for supper that evening still needed to cook for a while longer, and should be fine for the amount of time the shopping trip would take. As for the cake, Chizuru decided that it would probably be all right to leave it on the counter. After all, it wasn’t that often that the Shinsengumi captains visited the kitchen when not on cooking duty. Plus Okita had drug Saito away for a sparring session not that long ago, which would likely keep both of them occupied for some time yet. 

“Yes,…. I’m ready now Heisuke-kun.” agreed Chizuru nodding as she directed a smile toward Heisuke. She followed as the young captain led the way out of the kitchen and toward the entrance to the Shinsengumi’s headquarters to begin her shopping trip. 

.

Light chatter and laughter accompanied Chizuru and Heisuke as they returned to the Shinsengumi’s headquarters sometime later, making their way directly toward the kitchen. On the way there they passed by Okita who sat sunning himself on the steps nearest the kitchen, apparently having just finished bathing after his match with Saito, judging by the damp ends of his hair which were still dripping onto the towel around his shoulders. Chizuru stopped to speak briefly with Okita, while Heisuke continued on ahead, carrying the purchases they had made.

Inside the kitchen Heisuke set to work unloading everything he and Chizuru had bought. He carefully set them all out on one of the counters, only glancing over to the door for a moment as he heard Chizuru come in behind him, making her way over to stir and tend to the various things she had left cooking. The two of them worked in companionable silence for a while, as Heisuke began chopping up some of the ingredients Chizuru had said she needed. At least until Chizuru turned her attention from what she was cooking, to check on Saito’s cake where she had left it sitting out.

“Oh no,…!” cried Chizuru in a distressed voice, causing Heisuke to quickly turn from what he was doing.

“Chizuru? What’s wrong?” asked Heisuke as he stepped over to where Chizuru was, looking over at her with a concerned frown for a few moments before following the direction of her gaze and lowering his eyes to the surface of the counter in front of them.

“…Saito-san’s cake…” murmured Chizuru despondently as she and Heisuke stared down at the cake she had made, which now was missing a piece from the snowbunny’s backside, though the remainder of it appeared to still be intact and untouched.

“…Can you fix it?” came a voice from behind Chizuru and Heisuke, echoing the question that Heisuke had just been opening his mouth to ask. 

Heisuke and Chizuru turned toward the source of the voice, to see both Harada and Shinpachi standing in the doorway of the kitchen, each of the men were holding a couple containers of sake. As they came further into the kitchen to deposit the containers on one of the counters, Chizuru shook her head in response. 

“No,… I would have to make another cake. And there isn’t enough time…” replied Chizuru, her eyes remaining downcast in disappointment. She had tried so hard to make sure that everything would turn out right for Saito’s party, and even though the others had gone out of their way to help her, something had still gone wrong.

Harada hummed thoughtfully as he stepped closer, his eyes moving between the cake and Chizuru for a moment. Then he reached out to rest his hand on Chizuru’s head, causing her to look up at him as he spoke. “…You know,… even if the cake is missing a piece, I’m sure Saito will still appreciate the effort you put into it all the same.”

A moment passed as Chizuru looked hopefully up at Harada, seeming to be trying to convince herself of the truth of his words, before Shinpachi chimed in loudly in agreement. “That’s right. …Plus we’ve got plenty of sake for the party, and with the rest of your cooking no one will even miss one little slice of cake. Just make sure it’s all really good!”

As Chizuru’s gaze swept toward him, Heisuke offered her a broad smile, along with an encouraging nod. “Sano-san and Shinpat-san are right Chizuru. …You’ve put in so much work already, there’s no way someone could not have a good time. …Even someone like Hajime-kun.”

Taking a deep breath Chizuru seemed to gather herself as she let it out, determination filling her expression as she lifted her chin, nodding at Harada, Shinpachi, and Heisuke. “Okay!” said Chizuru, already starting to turn back toward her cooking pots.

Before Chizuru could turn back to her cooking, Heisuke called out to her. “Is there anything else you need help with, Chizuru?” 

Shaking her head Chizuru smiled at him before bowing. “No, I think I can handle what’s left to do from here. It should all be ready soon.” replied Chizuru, lifting her head to include Harada and Shinpachi in her gaze as well. “Thank you, all of you, for all of your help.” 

“No problem Chizuru.” said Harada waving slightly as he started toward the door, nudging Shinpachi and Heisuke along with him.

“We’ll see you at dinner, Chizuru!” called Heisuke looking back at Chizuru as he was swept along out of the kitchen.


	2. Chapter 2

As he entered the common room for supper that evening, Saito glanced around subtly at the other assembled captains while moving to sit at his usual location, trying to determine if anything seemed unusual or out of place. Throughout the day he had noticed that the others had been acting strangely, particularly in regards to his presence. However since he had been unable to perceive anything amiss with either his personal appearance or the surroundings at the time, Saito still was not certain of the reason for their behavior. On some level it did bother him a little, as it made him feel a bit like an outsider in the one place he had been able to call home, though Saito was quick to attempt to deny and ignore the existence of such feelings as soon as they began to manifest. 

Reaching for his chopsticks Saito began eating, noticing partway through the meal that it consisted entirely of his preferred foods. Looking up, Saito took more careful note of who exactly was present in the room. The absence of Sannan was of course expected and by now had become normal, while the lack of Hijikata’s presence was less so, he had overheard Kondo stating that the Vice Commander had had some task to attend to in response to a question asked by one of the other captains shortly after he entered the room. Curiously Saito also noticed that Chizuru had disappeared at some point during the meal, though he had been certain she had been there at the beginning, as he had found more often lately that he tended to be exceptionally aware of her presence whenever she was nearby. 

Frowning almost imperceptibly as he looked back down Saito returned his attention to his meal, continuing to eat steadily until he sensed someone coming over to where he sat and a shadow fell across the floor at the top of his line of sight. Raising his eyes from the dishes in front of him Saito looked up to find that Chizuru stood before him holding a large platter that contained some sort of large white shape. 

“Um,… Saito-san-…” began Chizuru as Saito’s eyes met hers, starting to lower herself to kneel on the floor before wobbling slightly, looking for a moment as if she was about to drop what she was holding. 

Standing quickly Saito reached out to take hold of the platter with one hand, the other moving to briefly grasp Chizuru’s forearm in order to steady her as she regained her footing, before letting go of her arm just as quickly a moment later. Looking away from the blush that darkened Chizuru’s cheeks, Saito instead fixed his eyes on the contents of the platter that he and Chizuru were jointly holding, as he had moved to grip the dish with his other hand as well to help support the dish’s weight in the event that Chizuru’s arms became tired. On closer inspection Saito realized that the object it contained was in fact a cake that resembled a large snowbunny, though for some reason it appeared that a single slice of the cake was already missing. As Chizuru began speaking once more Saito lifted his eyes, curious to hear her explanation for both the cake and its missing piece. 

“…Saito-san, I heard that it was your birthday,…” said Chizuru holding Saito’s gaze for a few moments before looking down shyly. “…and I-… and of course everyone else too..., wanted to do something to celebrate it. …So I made you this cake.” 

Saito’s eyes widened slightly in surprise at Chizuru’s words. Was this why everyone had been acting strangely around him the entire day? He supposed that it did make sense now if the others had been planning something of this nature. However he had entirely failed to remember the personal significance of this particular day, though now that he thought on it for a moment Saito determined that the date was in fact correct to coincide with that of his birth. 

Turning his attention back to Chizuru as she continued, Saito listened silently as she began to apologize for the missing portion of the cake, before shaking his head minutely to stop the flow of words from Chizuru’s lips. 

“Yukimura,… it is,… quite all right.” murmured Saito quietly as Chizuru looked up at him, causing Saito to duck his head, hoping that his hair and the scarf he wore would help hide the visible evidence of the warmth that he could feel creeping across his cheeks. As he gazed down at the cake a small smile, containing somewhat more than a hint of fondness, played over Saito’s lips. “…Thank you.” 

Chizuru smiled brilliantly and had just opened her mouth to reply when Heisuke, Shinpachi, and Harada burst noisily back into the room carrying a tray laden with cups, along with several containers which were shortly revealed to hold sake as the trio began to pour out the contents. Relieved for an excuse to no longer be the center of attention, if indeed he had been in the brief time that he had become temporarily oblivious to the presence of others, Saito was content to retreat to his usual seat as Chizuru moved to help. Soon both the sake and slices of the cake had been distributed among the group, after Chizuru had cut the snowbunny shaped dessert into slices, and everyone had begun to settle into enjoying the night of drinking and partying. 

.

Saito’s eyes narrowed slightly as he glanced around the room while sipping at the sake that Chizuru had just poured for him, the drink settling into his stomach with a pleasing warmth that only served to enhance his faint feeling of intoxication. His mind beginning to wander as Chizuru moved away to continue serving the others, Saito found his thoughts turning back to the cake Chizuru had made, and it’s missing slice. 

Even though the cake had ultimately been cut up and divided among those present, Saito felt that he still would have liked to have been able to see the fruits of Chizuru’s labor in it’s original and intact state and was a bit disappointed that he had been unable to do so, in spite of the assurance to the contrary that he had given to Chizuru. Not to mention that he would like to know the truth of the culprit’s identity. While Saito knew it was possible that any of the members of the Shinsengumi who might have wandered into the kitchen could be the responsible party, Saito felt that there were a few people who were more likely to be suspects than others. 

Looking across the room Saito’s gaze settled on Heisuke, watching as the ponytailed captain laughed with Chizuru over some joke, while she poured him another cup of sake. The young captain was a reasonably likely suspect. Heisuke was friendly with Chizuru and frequently hung out around her when he was not busy with his duties, so he had probably known about the cake, and therefore might have taken an opportunity to sample a piece of it when Chizuru was otherwise occupied without being aware of the cake’s intended purpose. Also despite his street smarts and relative skill at getting himself out of trouble once he was in it, Heisuke had a rather unfortunate tendency to at times act without fully thinking a situation through. It was a habit which frequently caused him to rouse the Vice Commander’s temper, leading to his being punished as a result. It was entirely possible that Heisuke had been the one who had taken the slice of cake, however he was not the only suspect. 

Beside Saito, sitting a foot or two away was Okita. Saito subtly glanced over at the first division captain out of the corner of his eye as his thoughts continued. Okita was well known for his love of tricks and pranks, with the vice commander being a favorite and most frequent target, even though the other captains occasionally fell victim to Okita as well. With that in mind it might not be outside the realm of possibility for the missing cake to be some form of prank on Okita’s part, though Saito knew that the other captain was well aware of Saito’s opinions regarding having his food taken. Additionally Saito also knew that Okita tended to be perceptive enough of the goings on around him that out of anyone, the other captain would have figured out who the cake had been intended for. However, the first division captain also had a love of sweets that was nearly as well-known as his bent toward pranks. 

Saito’s lips compressed minutely as his gaze moved back and forth between Heisuke and Okita for several minutes before lowering to stare pensively into his cup of sake, until a question directed toward him pulled Saito from his thoughts. 

“Hey,… Hajime-kun” began Okita as Saito looked over at him, his voice taking on a teasing tone. “You look like you have something on your mind. …Care to share with the group?” 

Saito’s brows drew together in an almost imperceptible frown in response to Okita’s question before he glanced away as he sensed Chizuru coming up on his other side to refill his cup. “…No.” 

Across the room as Okita’s teasing continued, now including Chizuru as well, Harada elbowed Heisuke’s ribs to get the younger captain’s attention before speaking. 

“…Hey Heisuke,… what’s going on with you and Saito?” asked Harada before expanding on his question as the expression on the young captain’s face shifted from mild annoyance, as he rubbed at his side, to a look of confusion. “…Maybe you haven’t noticed,… but he’s been looking this way a lot tonight. And I don’t think it’s just because of Shinpachi’s showing off.” 

At Harada’s comment a brief sound of protest started to rise from Shinpachi before being cut off as Heisuke confused frown deepened and he shook his head. “What makes you think there’s something going on?”

“He probably thinks you’re the one who ate his cake.” chortled Shinpachi, glancing over at Heisuke with an amused smirk as Heisuke returned his regard with a sharp glare.

Heisuke snorted, his gaze sliding sideways toward Shinpachi, his lips twisting into a slight curve as he needled the second division captain. “…Or maybe Shinpat-san constantly flexing his muscles everywhere is getting annoying.” 

“Is that a request for a chance to feel what I can do with these beauties for yourself I hear, Heisuke?” growled Shinpachi as he reached out, wrapping an arm around Heisuke’s chest and shoulders to pull the younger captain closer in spite of his efforts to escape, already starting to vigorously apply his knuckles to the top of Heisuke’s head. “Cause it sure sounded like one to me.”

While Heisuke and Shinpachi’s roughhousing carried on beside him, eventually threatening to descend into a full on wrestling match due to Heisuke’s continued struggles. Attempting to ignore the pair Harada shook his head, frowning as he continued in a murmur half under his breath. “…No,… I’m pretty sure he was looking at you, Heisuke.” _…And it definitely seemed like there was something on his mind._


	3. Chapter 3

The following day the excitement caused by Chizuru’s attempt to celebrate Saito’s birthday had died down. And the Shinsengumi captains nearly all of whom had been present, with the exception of Hijikata who had been away from headquarters on business, had more or less recovered from the late night spent drinking and partying. Everything had gone back to normal,… almost.

Okita looked over to where Heisuke sat a foot or so away from him in the bushes they were both currently hidden in. “…Just what were you thinking Heisuke, sneaking a piece of Hajime-kun’s cake like that before Chizuru-chan could give it to him?” asked Okita narrowing his eyes slightly as he studied Heisuke, looking as if he were trying to decide if the other captain was actually as crazy as such an act would indicate. 

After all it was well known that, while Heisuke and Shinpachi might steal and fight over each other’s food during meals without dire consequence, attempting to steal Saito’s food from him was unwise at best. Especially when it was something that Saito considered a favorite or to be something special. 

“…Me?!” cried Heisuke, a little too loudly, before Okita’s glare and sharp gestures for him to lower his voice silenced him. “Me?... What are you talking about? I thought you were the one who did it.” continued Heisuke in a lower voice, frowning as he looked over at Okita with a skeptical expression. “After all, everyone knows how much you like sweets.”

Okita snorted softly, his glare at Heisuke sharpening a bit, though he didn’t bother attempting to deny the other captain’s mention of his love of sweet things. A moment later Okita glanced away slightly, his glare softening as he hummed in thought. “Heeh,… then if it wasn’t either of us, who could have stolen that slice of Hajime-kun’s cake?”

“I don’t know. …Who else around here likes sweets so much that-…?” began Heisuke before breaking off abruptly as he caught the sound of footsteps coming closer to where he and Okita were hiding, while their owner murmured under his breath in an annoyed sounding tone. 

Crouching lower in the bushes both Shinsengumi captains froze, their gazes locked tensely on one another as they waited to see if they would manage to avoid discovery. The sound of second set of footsteps approaching caused the former steps to come to a stop, the frustrated muttering falling silent.

“…Pardon me Vice Commander,… but have you seen Souji or Heisuke anywhere?” asked Saito after bowing respectfully once he had come to a stop in front of Hijikata, having crossed the compound as he spotted the Shinsengumi’s Vice Commander. 

Even though it appeared to Saito that Hijikata had just returned to headquarters after the business he had been on the previous night, he thought that it was still possible that Hijikata might have spotted either Okita or Heisuke. Particularly if they had been wandering somewhere around town in an attempt to avoid him, having come to the conclusion that he may be suspicious of them after last night’s festivities. 

Frowning Hijikata shook his head, heaving out a sigh as he propped a fist on one hip. “No, I haven’t. …I just got back here. …But why? What did they do this time?” 

“I see…” murmured Saito glancing down briefly. It seemed that he would have to continue his search for the pair, hopefully determining for certain along the way if one or the other of them was truly the culprit who had taken the missing slice of the cake Chizuru had no doubt worked so hard to prepare for him. 

Fighting back the blush that threatened to darken his ears and cheeks at such thoughts Saito looked back up, gratefully focusing his attention on Hijikata instead. “…Then is there anything that I can do for you Vice Commander?”

“No…” replied Hijikata shaking his head once more as he let his hand fall to his side. “…But if you see Yukimura, would you tell her to bring some tea to my room?”

“Of course.” agreed Saito, bowing once more to Hijikata before turning on his heel and setting off across the grounds.

As Hijikata watched Saito’s back retreat his eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly, wondering at the faint hint of strangeness he had noted in the third division’s captain’s behavior. The other man had all too smoothly avoided answering Hijikata’s question, dodging it by retorting with one of his own, and had almost appeared to be blushing for some unknown reason just before then. Still, he had far too much work ahead of him to spend much time dwelling on it, especially when he saw no visible sign of anything being wrong around headquarters and the other man avoided speaking of it. 

Hijikata was thankful though that he could at least expect to have tea to accompany his work, as he suspected that it wouldn’t take that long for Saito to locate and speak to Chizuru, knowing Saito’s usual level of efficiency. Given the amount of time Hijikata expected the work to take, he wondered if he should have asked Saito to tell Chizuru to include something to eat along with the tea as well. 

The slice he had sampled of the cake Chizuru had left sitting on the counter in the kitchen yesterday had been good, even though he wasn’t necessarily a particular fan of sweets, unlike Souji. He did wonder what had made Chizuru decide to make something so fancy and impractical though. 

_…Really, what would give her the idea to make something that looked like a giant snow bunny…_ mused Hijikata shaking his head as he started toward his room.


	4. Chapter 4

Hijikata sat at his desk, the brush in his hand gliding over the page in front of him with firm, smooth strokes, until it stilled in response to a soft voice calling from just outside the door. Lifting his head Hijikata glanced briefly toward the door before resuming his work. “Come in Yukimura.”

“I’ve brought your tea.” said Chizuru picking up the tray at her side after opening the door. Stepping into the room Chizuru made her way over to the desk putting down the cup of tea, as well as plate containing a few rice balls, in one of the few areas that was clear of paperwork. Ducking her head Chizuru started to explain in response to the look Hijikata gave her as she set the plate on his desk. “Um,… Saito-san said that he thought it looked like you just got back, so I thought that you might like something to eat too, but-…” 

“It’s fine.” murmured Hijikata to cut off Chizuru’s words as he reached for the cup of tea, while still writing. “…Thank you Yukimura.”

As he sipped at the tea Hijikata’s mind went back to odd behavior he had noted from Saito earlier, and now that he was thinking a bit more about it Hijikata noticed that things did seem a little quieter around headquarters this morning. Usually by now either Okita or Heisuke, the latter generally acting in conjunction with the other two members of the idiot trio, would have stirred up some sort of disturbance with their antics. Looking over at Chizuru out of the corner of his eye Hijikata decided that he may as well use her as a source of information in order to find out just what he might have missed. After all, she was observant enough that if anything major had gone on she would be aware of it, and most importantly unlike himself Chizuru had actually been present at headquarters for the majority of the previous day. 

Half-turning toward where Chizuru still lingered, in order to face her more fully, Hijikata lowered his brush to rest on its stand so that there was no risk of it staining his work, as he spoke. “Before you go,… Was there something unusual that went on last night?” 

Frowning in confusion as she held the now empty tray in front of her, Chizuru shook her head. “…No,… I don’t think so…”

Hijikata grunted slightly in response. 

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Chizuru’s words, after all in the time that she had been with the Shinsengumi, the girl had proven to be honest almost to a fault. It was simply that he was more than aware of the potential for things to suddenly go wrong or turn against them, given certain aspects of their situation, and the number of enemies the Shinsengumi had made among Satsuma and Choushuu. Though if something had gone on involving the Fury Corps, Hijikata felt sure he would have learned about it already. Even though he preferred to be involved with that particular issue as little as possible, instead choosing to leave both the Furies and the Water of Life almost entirely in Sannan’s hands, without he or the other captains providing outside oversight. 

Narrowing his eyes fractionally Hijikata studied Chizuru for a moment. “You’re sure? …Nothing strange happened yesterday?” 

“…Well…” Chizuru hesitated debating on whether the thought that had occurred to her was even worth mentioning to Hijikata. 

After all, in spite of the small issue with Saito’s cake the party had gone well, and except for Hijikata everyone had been present. In addition to Kondo and the Shinsengumi captains, Yamazaki and Shimada had both briefly attended before returning to their duties. And Chizuru even thought she had seen Sannan standing just outside the open doorway at one point, his gaze fixed on the antics of the others as they laughed and joked around. Though he had been gone again when she looked back a few minutes later. 

Shaking herself from her thoughts Chizuru looked up to see Hijikata looking at her with a hint of impatience, no doubt due to her prolonged silence, though he seemed to be attempting to conceal it slightly by sipping at his tea. Finally coming to a decision Chizuru hesitated a few moments longer before speaking.

“…I don’t think this has anything to do with something important but… someone had taken a slice from the cake I made for Saito-san’s birthday party, before it even started. And there wasn’t anyone around when it happened, so no one seems to know who might have done it.” As she spoke Chizuru frowned in disappointment, looking down to where her clasped hands rested on the surface of the tray she had been holding against her chest, and had lowered to set in her lap. 

A faint choking sound drew Chizuru’s attention back to Hijikata. She looked up at him curiously just in time to watch as Hijikata lowered his tea cup, in a gesture that seemed somehow abrupt, setting it aside on his desk before turning away from her to pick up his brush as he dismissed her. “I see. That will be all Yukimura.” said Hijikata, with a touch of brusqueness in his tone. “You can go.” He added as Chizuru continued sitting for a few moments longer before reacting and hastily gathering up her tray, voicing a string of apologies as she quickly made her way out of his room. 

Once Chizuru had gone, Hijikata allowed himself to cough slightly once more, clearing his throat of the last of the tea which he had nearly inhaled when presented with Chizuru’s revelation regarding the cake he had sampled the day before, just as he had been taking a sip of the tea. 

Sighing Hijikata set aside his brush, using his now free hand to massage the bridge of his nose instead as he closed his eyes briefly. So that was what Chizuru had made the cake he had eaten the previous day for, rather than it being simply being an overly fancy dessert intended for the all of the Shinsengumi captains as he had assumed. 

Hijikata was well aware that the incident was trivial, particularly given his role as the vice commander of the Shinsengumi. However he still couldn’t help feeling a bit bad for having spoiled things for Saito’s party. Particularly when considering that not only had he been unable to attend the event to participate in the festivities. But a result he also had not even offered his own good wishes on the occasion to Saito, who was one of his most loyal subordinates and friends. The feeling persisted even more strongly when Hijikata recalled the disappointed expression he had witnessed on Chizuru’s face, at having her surprise for Saito spoiled by an unknown party. But what exactly could he do to repair the situation now?

Over the course of the next week, Hijikata considered a variety of ways to attempt to make things up to the pair, or at least to Saito. At first given that the event had been Saito’s birthday, Hijikata had contemplated the idea of some sort of small gift or token, but for some reason nothing that came to mind or that he had seen in the various shops in the marketplace had seemed quite right. Perhaps that had been due to Hijikata’s position and that as a consequence of it he would have to be careful that he did not appear to be showing favoritism toward one of the captains under his command. As for Chizuru while she was not a subordinate, or even truly part of the Shinsengumi, Hijikata was not unaware that recently she and Saito had appeared to be growing increasingly fond of one another, for better or worse. 

Still regardless of his feelings regarding the wisdom of their relationship, Hijikata ultimately decided that the least he could do is attempt to mitigate whatever damage his actions might have caused to Chizuru’s attempted celebration by giving Saito both an explanation and apology. Which was why earlier in the day, Hijikata had left instructions for Chizuru to bring tea for two to his room that evening, and for Saito to report to him there once Saito’s tasks for the day were done.

As Saito made his way across the courtyard toward Hijikata’s quarters that evening, he couldn’t help wondering what the vice commander might have wanted to discuss with him. He wondered if perhaps it might have something to do with the reason Hijikata had to be away from the Shinsengumi’s headquarters overnight during the celebration Chizuru had hosted several days ago, though it was difficult for Saito to know for certain since he lacked the details behind Hijikata’s absence. Regardless of what the reason might be however, Saito knew that he would find out momentarily as he had arrived at Hijikata’s quarters. 

Pausing at the door Saito announced his presence, waiting for the vice commander’s response from within before sliding the door open and entering the room. 

“You wanted to see me Vice Commander?” asked Saito as he lifted his gaze from the floor after having inclined his head in a slight bow, before seating himself where Hijikata’s gesture had indicated. 

“Yes.” Hijikata replied as he set aside his brush while nodding. After turning from his desk Hijikata reached toward the tea tray that had been left nearby, moving it so that it sat between himself and Saito. Hijikata picked up the teapot and began to fill one of the cups, before glancing over at Saito. “Do you want some tea?” Hijikata asked, the corner of his lips curving minutely before adding. “…Don’t worry, Yukimura made it, not me.” 

Saito nodded wordlessly, then reached out to take the steaming cup that Hijikata offered him with a murmured thank you. Sipping at his tea Saito once more began to wonder about the reason for the Vice Commander having summoned him, since contrary to his usual custom Hijikata seemed in no hurry to issue any sort of orders, or to request information on a situation from him. Still, despite his growing curiosity, Saito resolved that he would wait patiently until the Vice Commander was ready to speak.

After both men had sat in silence for a time after having briefly discussed several inconsequential subjects, Hijikata finally sighed his shoulders falling slightly as he broke the quiet tension of expectation that had begun to permeate the room’s stillness. “…So,… I heard that Yukimura held a celebration while I was gone the other day.” began Hijikata looking over at Saito once more. “…How did that go?” 

Blinking in surprise, Saito did his best to mask his astonishment at the unexpected direction Hijikata’s question had taken things. “I suppose that it went well,… it seemed as if Yukimura was pleased.”

A huff of amusement slipped past Hijikata’s lips as he shook his head briefly. “But did you enjoy it though? …It was supposed to be for your birthday, right?” 

Saito’s brow furrowed minutely as he inclined his head in a nod. Lowering his eyes Saito gazed down at the contents of his half empty cup of tea while thinking back over the events of that evening. Finally after several minutes had passed, Saito looked back up having decided on a response. “It was not unpleasant.”

“Good.” replied Hijikata, allowing a faint smile to curve his lips before he looked over at Saito. “I’m sorry I missed it.” 

“That is quite all right, Vice Commander.” said Saito, shaking his head. “Your duties kept you otherwise occupied.”

Hijikata hummed in agreement, allowing a few moments of silence to pass as he refilled both his and Saito’s cups of tea before speaking. “Still, if I had been able to be here…” sighing Hijikata paused, seeming to hesitate as he set aside the teapot. “…I do have a confession to make though.”

Saito looked at Hijikata curiously. “Vice Commander?” 

“It turns out that I ended up getting a bit of your cake before the party happened.” explained Hijikata looking up to meet Saito gaze with an apologetic expression as the third division captain continued to study him intently. “…I didn’t realize what it was meant for until afterwards.” 

_…So that was what had happened to the missing piece of the cake that Chizuru had made for him._ thought Saito, his eyes widening almost imperceptibly at Hijikata’s confession. While he had still not been able to find out just who had taken the cake before now, the Vice Commander would have been one of the very last people whom he would have suspected. 

Stumbling a bit over his words in his astonishment, Saito shook his head to forestall and dismiss any attempt at apology that Hijikata might have made. “That is-,… I mean….” Saito took a breath to compose himself before continuing. “It is quite all right Vice Commander. You need not concern yourself about it on my behalf.” 

“Are you sure about that?” asked Hijikata raising his eyebrows a bit before shaking his head. “Either way, I’m sorry if it spoiled anything.” 

“It is all right.” reiterated Saito once more, lowering his gaze to the cup of tea he held in his lap. “Please do not let it trouble you.” 

“Well, if you say so.” Hijikata finally agreed. After a few moments passed, Hijikata smiled slightly as he looked over at Saito. “…Anyway,… I may be a bit late in saying it but,… Happy Birthday Saito.” 

Saito allowed a small smile to curve his lips as he looked up at Hijikata briefly before bowing his head in acknowledgment. “Thank you, Vice Commander.” Finishing the last of his tea Saito returned his empty cup to the tray and rose, preparing to leave. “If there was nothing further,…I should not interfere with your work any longer.”

After being dismissed by Hijikata and making his way out of the Vice Commander’s quarters Saito paused to gaze up at the evening sky that stretched over the courtyard as he thought. In truth his feelings on the matter of his birthday cake and what he had learned left him a bit conflicted. While he would liked to have been able to see the snowbunny cake whole and as Chizuru had intended it, and was still a little disappointed that he had been unable to, at least now he knew what had happened. 

However recalling the pleasure he had felt at receiving Hijikata’s good wishes, Saito decided that if the slice of cake had to be eaten by someone, perhaps it was just as well that it had been the Vice Commander. As it could be considered that the partaking of it had also allowed Hijikata to in some way take part in the celebration, even though he was unable to be present during the actual event. 

In the end Saito concluded that he would be content with the idea that all of the people who were most significant in his life had been able to share in the celebration of his birthday with him, in whatever way they were able.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on twitter as [ RennarenofAO3, ](https://twitter.com/RennarenofAO3)or on Tumblr also at [RennarenofAO3.](https://rennarenofao3.tumblr.com/)


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